Volume 11 Chapter 51 Shirogane Aqua, It Seems That Secrets Aren’t Really Secrets
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Good morning, everyone in Chiba!! Today, we have the BERYL members with us!!”
”Good morning to everyone watching on TV. I’m Shirogane Aqua from BERYL. Thank you for your continued support today!!”
The morning after the first day of the nationwide live tour, we were in the square where the stage was set up at the Land plaza for our appearance on the local TV broadcast. The audience seats and fences must have been removed during the late night when the park was closed, leaving only the stage that is used for events like the coming-of-age ceremony.
”Now, let me explain today’s plan!! We would like the BERYL members to purchase souvenirs for someone they want to thank or show their appreciation to at the nearby bazaar. And at the end of the show, please show us the purchased items and tell us who you bought them for and why.”
”Hmm, I see. I think it’s a good plan. It can also serve as promotion for the bazaar and as advertisement for the items purchased or considered. Since today is a collaboration live with the Land, it feels like the plan is tailored to fit the theme.”
”Hmm, Aqua, do you owe a lot of people?”
”Oh, like Kanon, Mom, President Ako, and others. Hmm, I can’t decide.”
Hm? What’s up, Toa? You’re making a face, is everything okay?
Not just Shintaro and Tenga-senpai, but even the host big sisters, staff members, and even the fans watching the recording, everyone including Kotono and Ako-san seems like they want to say something.
”Oh, um, you should mention one more name, or else that person might get upset.”
”Oh!”
When I remembered and clapped my hands, everyone’s faces brightened up.
Sorry, everyone. I forgot to mention someone important!
”Is it Ayana?”
Everyone almost stumbled at once.
”Or maybe Manager Kirika, or the frequent co-star Announcer Morikawa, Director Hongou, Moja-san, Nobu-san, Ichise-sensei, Shitori-onee-chan, my maid, and all the people I’m indebted to. It’s hard to choose…”
Toa is looking at me with a serious expression, as if he wants to say something important. It feels like he really wants to say it.
”Do you have other people? You know, more people?”
”Hmm…”
Oh, right. I forgot about important people like Toa, Shintaro, and Senpai.
”Toa, Shintaro, Senpai… everyone, thank you so much.”
I say this with a serious expression, and they are slightly surprised. Toa blushes and looks away, Shintaro awkwardly smiles, and Senpai has tears in his eyes.
”Thank you. Thank you very much.”
Suddenly, the host and fans who are watching from a distance start bowing. Oh? What happened, everyone?
”Oh well, it doesn’t matter. Aqua will be scolded later anyway, and I’m not involved.”
Huh? Did Toa say something?
”Yes. Well then, I would like to start from now on!”
”See you later!”
”Goodbye!”
”Ah!”
”Yeah!”
We split up near the market entrance, just next to the open area. From now on, we’ll be going our own ways.
”You mentioned it earlier, Aqua-san, have you picked who to get a gift for?”
”Yes, I already decided.”
I grinned at the camera. I knew the plan beforehand, and I already have someone in mind to give the present to.
”Oh, how about that store over there? Let’s go take a look!”
The first store we went into was a clothing shop. As soon as I stepped in, the customers got excited. Sorry, everyone. I’ll only be here for a short time.
”What about this?”
I tried on the headband with ears, conveniently placed nearby. This is like a promise within a promise, isn’t it?
”Kyaa!”
”So cute!”
”It suits you!”
”Awawawa, so adorable!”
I thanked the fans watching and reacting so positively. Since it’s a special occasion, maybe I should buy this and keep wearing it. I can give it to Kanon later after I go home.
”Oh, I like this kind of stuff.”
I find a costume for kids to wear for playing and I decide to buy it.
”I think it would be nice to get something like this for my daughter in the future. What do you all think, if you have kids?”
I ask the people around me. Even though I, as a man, think this way, I wonder if women might have different thoughts.
”Yeah, I understand. I’d like to wear something like that too.”
”Huh? Isn’t that…”
”Oops. At this moment, I started thinking about dating, marriage, the first night, pregnancy, and childbirth.”
”Wait. This is an important moment now… Mm.”
”I think it’s a good idea.”
”I see, I see. Our child with Aqua-kun will be a daughter, and…”
”We’re ready to have a baby!”
”That sounds great! I might even wear one too!”
There were some strange opinions, but overall, it seems well-received. Let’s come as a family when the child is born.
”Should we go to the next store?”
I pay for the headband I’m going to put on and leave the store. Now, where should I go next? Oh, that shop, what was it? I head towards the shop diagonally in front.
”Ah, Toa.”
”Aqua is here too?”
”What kind of shop is this?”
”They said it’s a shop that does live demonstrations and sells paper cutting art.”
Wow, I didn’t know there was a shop like that. I look at the menu hanging on the nearby wall. I see, it seems like they’re selling our paper cutting art for a limited time, in collaboration with Beryl. It’s Tokumoto-san and others who are good at coming up with these kinds of ideas, like the ones we had at the live venue yesterday. I shift my gaze to the menu hanging on the nearby wall.
”So, which one did Toa order?”
”Well, I was just thinking about which one to order.”
”I see. Since we’re here, let’s get it for the two of us.”
I point to the silhouette paper cutting of two people facing each other.
”Hmm, that’s fine.”
”Okay then, clerk. We’ll have this! …wait, Emily-san!?”
I’m surprised to see Emily-san, the girl who works at the paper cutting shop.
”Huh, why are you here?”
”I’m working part-time.”
I see…wait, huh!? I wonder if Emily-san doesn’t have enough money with just the maid job at grandmother’s place. Kanon told me that she’s having financial difficulties because her dad and mom became guarantors. I start to worry if she’s doing okay.
”It’s just to breathe the same air as y——Cough, cough, it’s nothing. I came to help because there weren’t enough people, thanks to a friend’s connection, not for any special reason.”
Wow, Emily is really kind! If you’re short on money, how about being my maid? Just kidding, it’s silly to think like that. I apologize, Emily. It’s the worst of me to have such thoughts about someone as pure-hearted as you.
”Okay, let me show you to the room.”
I sit in a chair in a separate room, facing each other. It’s a bit embarrassing for some reason.
”I’ll start cutting now. Please wait.”
Emily will be cutting!? At first, I was surprised, but Emily quickly and skillfully completed two cutouts.
”Wow, it’s… Amazing.”
”It’s true. It’s amazing!”
I admire the cutouts made by Emily.
”Emily, have you been working here part-time for a while?”
”Since yesterday.”
”What!?”
”I started working part-time yesterday, and the manager already called me the master of paper cutting on the same day.”
Wow… Emily is amazing, no wonder she has her own shop, Ramen Takeko. She’s not just an average person with average skills. We paid the bill and thanked Emily.
”Aqua, can I get this?”
”Yeah! Make sure to display it nicely!”
”Thank you. Well then, see you later.”
”Yeah!”
After saying goodbye, I went to a nearby shop that sells only snacks.
”Is it okay to buy presents with my own money, not related to the project?”
”That’s fine!”
”In that case, I’ll buy snacks as souvenirs for my classmates, homeroom teacher, and the people at work who have taken care of me.”
I headed to the BERYL collaboration corner.
”By the way, what about the stock? I want at least 100 of them.”
I received a can of cookies from the Shirogane Aqua collaboration.
”Don’t worry!! We can easily get 1000 of them!”
Hold on, do you really need 1000? Oh, well, I thought it would be nice to bring them as gifts to my business partners or something. Just to be safe, I’ll ask Kotono.
”Hey, I’m thinking of giving the extra cans to the company’s salespeople or something. Do you think we can use up 1000?”
”They will disappear in one day. Actually, if it’s 1000, the employees alone can easily finish them.”
What!? I’m surprised and momentarily frozen. Wait…!? Even with 1000, they’ll be gone in one day!? It must be a mistake, like one week or one month, right? Well, Kotono doesn’t lie, so it must be true.
”Well then… If that’s the case, how about 500 for the collaboration can with me, 200 for the BERYL can, and 100 each for Shintaro and Senpai collaboration?”
”Got it. In that case, the total will be 270 million yen for 1000 cans, with a product price of 2700 yen.”
When I got my wallet from Kotono, I used a card to pay.
But thinking about it, 2.7 million yen could buy not only a new bike, but even a car. That’s crazy… But Kanon told me to use it freely, considering the money I earned from selling Goods. It’s probably a good time to spend it all. So, I decided to buy some collaboration candies and chocolates since I have the opportunity.
”Thank you very much!”
After buying the sweets, I left the store and went to the Goods store in front of me.
”I’ll buy some thank-you gifts for the maids who have been taking care of me and rewards for my audition group juniors. Also, some souvenirs for my family and close friends.”
When I entered the store, I picked up a pair of sunglasses nearby, put them on, and turned towards the camera.
”How do I look in these? Don’t they look good on Tenga-senpai?”
As I waved to the other customers around me who were shopping, everyone laughed.
”I’ll get this.”
I go to the stuffed animal section nearby. Ruuna-senpai, Pegonia-san, and the maid team want a collaboration cushion with me, so I choose this one. I’ll gift Aqua-kun’s stuffed animal keychain to family and friends, even if they say they don’t need it. I’ll insist and spread the word.
”Excuse me, how many of these can I get?”
”As many as you want!”
Is it fine to have so much stock? Let’s buy a bit more, maybe 100.
”Also, can I reserve the special first edition of BERYL’s live and parade video separately?”
”If you do, you can reserve and get it at the nearby greeting shop.”
”Thanks!”
After paying, I had the clerk deliver it home and went to the mentioned greeting shop. There, I ran into Shintaro shopping.
”Hey Shintaro, did you find something nice?”
”Yeah, I had trouble deciding, but I found something good, I think.”
I look at the bag Shintaro is holding. It’s time for me to find something good and buy it too.
”Since we’re here, why don’t we buy something together?”
”Yeah, sure.”
Besides videos and music software, the Greeting Shop also sells stationery and other things. That’s where I found the BERYL pen set.
”There are four of these, so we can use them with four people, right?”
”That’s good, right? This way, Tenga-senpai can use it too…”
Yeah, you’re right. While buying the pen, I also reserved a video software. Oh, please deliver it to the headquarters. I send a message to the group that includes all the audition winners, saying that I reserved it so they don’t have to buy it.
”Well then, Shintaro, see you later!”
”Yeah! I hope you find something good!”
Now then… all that’s left is the present for the topic. What should I do? I start walking from the city center towards the outer area to check out the shops there. And then, I spot Tenga-senpai sitting elegantly at a café terrace, sipping coffee.
I wear the sunglasses I got for Tenga-senpai and go to him.
”Oh! My junior!!”
Yay! Tenga-senpai and I both wear the same sunglasses and give each other a high-five. I got them as a gift for Tenga-senpai, but I never expected him to buy the same ones.
”Senpai, those sunglasses look good on you!”
”And you, my junior, have a good sense of style with those sunglasses!”
We pose for the camera and give each other another high-five. The fans around us are surprised by our energy, but Tenga-senpai and I are always like this. There’s no other male friend who would join me in such silly antics except Tenga-senpai.
”Junior, you still haven’t bought them?”
”Yeah, that’s right. It’s just that they’re a bit different, you know…”
”Well, there’s a toy shop over there.”
A toy shop, huh? That might actually be a good idea. Feeling inspired, I thank Tenga-senpai and head towards the shop that sells toys.
”I found it!!”
I smiled at the camera.
”I will quickly buy it.”
I paid and hurried to the square. The time limit is getting closer.
”Oh, Aqua-san is back!!”
”Aqua, you’re late!”
I am the last one!! Tenga-senpai, Toa, and Shintaro were already gathered at the meeting place.
”Welcome back!”
”Welcome back!”
”Welcome back”
”So, did you manage to buy something good, junior?”
I nodded and said, “Thanks to Tenga-senpai.”
”Now, show us what you bought, and then explain who you bought it for and why! First up, Nekoyama Toa-san! Please go ahead!”
Everyone clapped. Toa confidently placed the shop’s bag on the table.
”What I bought is this!”
Toa took a souvenir from the shop’s bag and showed it.
”I got a hairpin. I remembered when I wore the same ones when I went to a little fun park as a family when I was a kid, so I thought it would be nice to wear them together again.”
”I understand, thank you for sharing a nice story!”
I heard that he used to be lively before staying at home all the time, and he must have remembered those days. Everyone in the Nekoyama family hopes to come to such places together again in the future.
”Now, Mayuzumi Shintaro-san, is it okay?”
”Yes, what I got is this.”
Shintaro takes something out of the shop’s bag. Is this a letter set…?
”I thought of giving this as a gift because I wanted to communicate with my mother. I thought it might be easier to express things through letters that are difficult to say in person…”
”I see, that’s also a nice story. By the way, what about this letter set here?”
”Oh, that’s… I thought maybe for Kokucho’s two as well.”
Shintaro turns his face away a little, looking a bit shy.
”Yeah, that’s good. Yeah, I really think it’s great!!”
Shintaro is nice. When I’m with everyone, I feel warm and happy. Kujaku is straightforward, and Agewa-san is good at starting conversations, so I think it’s nice. Maybe Shintaro had this as the main purpose.
”Well then, Tenga-senpai, go ahead!”
”Hmm!”
Tenga-senpai takes out gifts he bought from the store and shows them to everyone.
”What is this?”
”It’s a cutout of my whole body!!”
Ah… Emily-san, it must have been difficult to make this. The poses are complicated, and she cut out the small details like fingertips and wrinkles on the clothes. I will apologize to her later. But still, it’s surprising that she made this on the second day, and I was amazed at how well it turned out.
”Who did you buy this for?”
”My relatives who live far away wanted a picture, so I thought this would be a good one for them!”
Well, I thought it would be nice to just take a regular picture at the nearby photo studio to make them happy.
”But, thinking that they might also want a regular photo, I took regular photos too!”
When I saw Tenga-senpai’s excited picture, the female fans looked at him kindly.
”I understand, thank you very much. So, Shirogane Aqua-san, please.”
”This is what I bought.”
I put the store’s bag on the table and took out the jigsaw puzzle I bought.
”A jigsaw puzzle, huh? Who did you buy this present for?”
”I want to give this present to Mikuni-san… my other mom (okaa-san).”
”Oh~ Can I ask why?”
”My whole family, including me, haven’t seen Mikuni-san for nearly ten years, so besides my mother, we still feel a distance between each other. That’s why I bought something that the whole family can play with.”
Reira-san told me that Mikuni-san was having a hard time, and I was a bit curious too. While I was searching for something we could do together, I found this.
”I se… everyone, when we gathered and gave gifts to our families, it made me feel really happy.”
The people around us who were watching clapped warmly. It was a little embarrassing, but I thought it was nice.
”Well, it’s almost time. Thank you so much, everyone from BERYL. Everyone, give your best at today’s performance and parade!”
”Goodbye, everyone!”
”Don’t forget to watch the live stream!”
”Thanks!”
”Let’s do our best today too!”
We waved at the camera.
”Yes, everyone. Great job! BERYL members, please follow us as we move forward from here!”
We thanked the TV station staff and the fans, then followed the staff to the waiting room for the show and parade that would start at noon.
”By the way, Aqua. What’s in that bag?”
”A secret.”
Reira-san and Mikuni-san weren’t the only one who I care. Although there are some annoying aspects, I bought a gift for a certain senpai who is small but loud. I bought it secretly because I knew she would be proud if I mentioned it on TV. Well, I’m not sure if she will be happy about it, but it’s better than not buying anything, right?
”Hmm, I was excited to see Aqua getting scolded.”
Oh, huh? Toa-san? How do you know who I bought it for!? Toa kept that secret and walked towards the two people walking ahead.
Hello, there’s a new work featuring a heartwarming story where the heroine’s limbs are severed, and the main character takes care of her, with a hint of ero mana transfer. I hope you can read it, and don’t forget to rate it max. Here’s the link : [Link]
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.